GM retirees get early shot at Medicare plans

General Motors is ending health coverage for more than 100,000 salaried GM retirees and their dependents Jan. 1 to save the $3.3 billion it spent on retiree healthcare in 2007. Retirees will receive $300 a month in their pension checks to buy healthcare. They can begin enrolling in Medicare as early as October 15, a month earlier than Medicare's enrollment for everyone else.